Sanford takes his first 2020 campaign trip to New Hampshire

Mark Sanford's first presidential campaign stop in New Hampshire began with an interruption in the hopes of being heard.

Sanford, the former South Carolina governor and congressman, entered a Manchester diner and found his way to an AARP meeting in the back. "Can I be rude?" he asked them, trying to introduce himself amid the din of breakfast diner. He later bounced from booth to booth to chat with other patrons at the restaurant.

The 59-year-old is the third Republican 2020 candidate to campaign in New Hampshire in hopes of denting President Donald Trump's reelection chances. Former Massachusetts Gov. Bill Weld announced his run in April but has struggled to gain much of a following despite repeated trips to the state. Joe Walsh, a former tea-party-backed, one-term congressman from Illinois, announced his run last month and made a little-noticed first trip to the state earlier this month.

Republican presidential candidate, former South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford, right, chats with patrons at the Puritan Backroom restaurant, during a campaign stop, Thursday, Sept. 19, 2019, in Manchester, N.H. (AP PhotoElise Amendola)

With several states canceling their early voting contests, the New Hampshire primary is likely the best chance for insurgent GOP candidates to make a show of force against Trump.

"I think that a place like New Hampshire that's open to ideas, has a good percentage of independents, is going to prove fertile ground in this larger exploration of whether or not there can be alternatives to Trump in the modern Republican era," Sanford said.

Sanford's first day of campaigning in New Hampshire called for the diner visit in Manchester and a lunchtime stop at the popular Puritan Backroom restaurant. He also hoped to speak to the Concord GOP at a pizzeria Thursday night.

Republican presidential candidate former South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford, left, chats with Ken Demick, of Manchester, N.H., as he campaigns, Thursday, Sept. 19, 2019, in Manchester. (AP PhotoElise Amendola)

By luck, some of the voters Sanford encountered at the diner were 2016 GOP primary voters who are less than thrilled with the Trump presidency.

"A lot of us over here can't stand what (Trump's) doing," Ernest Chabot, a 72-year-old Republican who voted for then-New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie in the 2016 GOP presidential primary and cast a ballot for Green Party candidate Jill Stein in the general election.

Others, like 46-year-old independent Kim Mattucci, pressed Sanford on his stance on climate change. Sanford said he believes climate change is real. Mattucci later said she didn't know anything about him before he walked into the diner.

Republican presidential candidate, former South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford, right, chats with patrons at the Puritan Backroom restaurant, during a campaign stop, Thursday, Sept. 19, 2019, in Manchester, N.H. (AP PhotoElise Amendola)

"I think it's good," Mattucci said. "I think Trump probably needs some people to challenge him. I think the American people deserve to have more options."

Republican presidential candidate, former South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford talks with customers at the Puritan Backroom restaurant, during a campaign stop, Thursday, Sept. 19, 2019, in Manchester, N.H. (AP PhotoElise Amendola)

Republican presidential candidate, former South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford talks with customers at the Puritan Backroom restaurant, during a campaign stop, Thursday, Sept. 19, 2019, in Manchester, N.H. (AP PhotoElise Amendola)

Republican presidential candidate, former South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford talks with customers at the Puritan Backroom restaurant, during a campaign stop, Thursday, Sept. 19, 2019, in Manchester, N.H. (AP PhotoElise Amendola)

Republican presidential candidate, former South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford smiles as he talks with customers at the Puritan Backroom restaurant, during a campaign stop, Thursday, Sept. 19, 2019, in Manchester, N.H. (AP PhotoElise Amendola)

Republican presidential candidate, former South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford talks with customers in the parking lot of the Puritan Backroom restaurant, during a campaign stop, Thursday, Sept. 19, 2019, in Manchester, N.H. (AP PhotoElise Amendola)

Republican presidential candidate, former South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford kneels to talk with customers at the Puritan Backroom restaurant, during a campaign stop, Thursday, Sept. 19, 2019, in Manchester, N.H. (AP PhotoElise Amendola)

Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont announced Monday he will run for reelection this year, squelching speculation that the 82-year-old progressive icon might retire at a time when the Democratic Party is anxious about the advancing age of its top leaders.

Hailing from a Democratic stronghold, Sanders' decision virtually guarantees that he will return to Washington for a fourth Senate term. And his announcement comes at a critical moment for Democrats as the party navigates a growing divide over Israel's war against Hamas in Gaza.

Sanders has criticized President Joe Biden's handling of the U.S. relationship with Israel even as he's hailed much of Biden's domestic agenda ahead of what could be a tough reelection fight for Biden against presumptive GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump.

Sanders said he wants the war in Gaza ended immediately, massive humanitarian aid to follow and no more money sent to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

"We are living in a complicated and difficult political moment," Sanders told The Associated Press on Monday. “I very strongly disagree with Biden in terms of the war in Gaza.”

At home, he said, the presidential election is between Biden and Trump, “and Donald Trump is in my view the most dangerous president, has been the most dangerous president in American history.”

With the prospect of Trump's possible return to the White House, Sanders framed his bid to return to the Senate as being driven by concerns about the future of democracy in the U.S. In an announcement video, he said that in many ways the 2024 election “is the most consequential election in our lifetimes.”

“Will the United States continue to even function as a democracy, or will we move to an authoritarian form of government?” he said. He questioned whether the country will reverse what he called “the unprecedented level of income and wealth inequality” and if it can create a government that works for all, and not continue with a political system dominated by wealthy campaign contributors.

Known for his liberal politics and crusty demeanor, Sanders has been famously consistent over his 40 years in politics, championing better health care paid for by the government, higher taxes for the wealthy, less military intervention and major solutions for climate change. He has also spent his career trying to hold corporate executives to account, something that he’s had more power to do as chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee.

Sanders is an independent. He was a Democratic congressman for 16 years and still caucuses with the Democrats.

He sought the Democratic presidential nomination in 2016 and 2020. He said a year ago that he would forgo another presidential bid and endorse Biden’s reelection this year.

“I have been, and will be if re-elected, in a strong position to provide the kind of help that Vermonters need in these difficult times,” Sanders said in a review of his positions as chairman of the important Senate panel and a member of the chamber's Democratic leadership team, as well as a senior member of various other committees.

AP writer Mary Clare Jalonick contributed from Washington.

FILE - Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., smiles as he addresses Unite Here Local 11 workers holding a rally, April 5, 2024, in Los Angeles. Sanders is running for re-election. The 82-year-old, from Vermont, announced Monday, May 6, that he's seeking his fourth term in the U.S. Senate. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes, File)

FILE - Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., speaks during a news conference, Jan. 25, 2024, at the Capitol in Washington. Sanders is running for re-election. The 82-year-old, from Vermont, announced Monday, May 6, that he's seeking his fourth term in the U.S. Senate. (AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib, File)